Kelly Perkins

Seeking a CCO/COO but it’s too early for an FTE? ImpactBio’s Fractional Talent is the solution. For a portion of the cost that your company would pay for a full-time CCO/COO, ImpactBio provides a highly-skilled Fractional Commercial Leader that is an exact fit for your needs. The best fit for our Fractional CCO/COO Services are clients where the CEO is taking on these roles, being spread too thin, being pulled in too many directions, and losing focus on the company strategy. We believe that the CCO/COO roles can only be performed well by a highly-skilled leader and cannot be filled by just anyone. Our talent pool of Fractional CCO/COO candidates are proven leaders with numerous product launches and commercial leadership roles to their credit. Connect with Wendy Wolf today to discuss your executive leadership needs. #fractionalCCO #fractionalCOO #CCO #COO #csuitetalent #csuiterecruiting #Commerciallaunch

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Seeking a CCO/COO but it’s too early for an FTE? ImpactBio’s Fractional Talent is the solution. For a portion of the cost that your company would pay for a full-time CCO/COO, ImpactBio provides a highly-skilled Fractional Commercial Leader that is an exact fit for your needs. The best fit for our Fractional CCO/COO Services are clients where the CEO is taking on these roles, being spread too thin, being pulled in too many directions, and losing focus on the company strategy. We believe that the CCO/COO roles can only be performed well by a highly-skilled leader and cannot be filled by just anyone. Our talent pool of Fractional CCO/COO candidates are proven leaders with numerous product launches and commercial leadership roles to their credit. Connect with Wendy Wolf today to discuss your executive leadership needs. #fractionalCCO #fractionalCOO #CCO #COO #csuitetalent #csuiterecruiting #Commerciallaunch

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Who’s podcast can I go on?!? No one is discussing misleading food labels and lack of ingredient transparency in the "healthy meal" prep industry? 🎙️ There's a lot to unpack about how meals are labeled as organic and healthy while lacking true transparency. The days of genuine wellness seem to be fading, with gas, additives, and preservatives extending shelf lives up to 14 days or more 😤 Let's delve into this on a podcast! Message me if you're interested in shedding light on this crucial topic. 🥳 #Podcast #FoodIndustry #Transparency #Wellness #HealthyEating

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🚨 Insightful DEA Report: Illicit marijuana flowers average a THC potency of 16%. 🌿💨 This statistic underscores a significant advantage of purchasing from licensed dispensaries—quality and safety. Unlike the unregulated market, dispensaries offer products that are tested, compliant, and consistent in their THC content. This not only ensures a safer consumer experience but also supports the legal cannabis industry committed to high standards. Why risk the unknown? Choose quality, safety, and reliability every time with dispensary-bought cannabis. Let's advocate for more informed consumer choices and support regulations that emphasize these benefits. Stay informed and choose wisely. #CannabisIndustry #ConsumerSafety #DispensaryQuality #THCPotency #RegulatedCannabis

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F the Treaties: Rescheduling and Marijuana-Particular Controls https://lnkd.in/gwnhJv2Z <a href=""> - Marijuana-specific controls in schedule III? The drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) revealed its Discover of Proposed Rulemaking (“NOPR”) final week to a lot fanfare. The NOPR would reschedule marijuana, “marijuana extract” and “naturally derived delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinols” from schedule I to schedule III of the Managed Substances Act (CSA). However that’s not all. In my very fast evaluation after the rule dropped, I flagged DEA’s assertion that it might develop “marijuana-specific controls” together with rescheduling. I’m shocked this DEA assertion hasn’t spurred a lot dialogue, regardless of its Easter egg placement at NOPR web page 86. “Marijuana-specific management” guidelines might turn into a reasonably large deal. For context, the U.S. is a celebration to sure worldwide treaties that require it to regulate hashish and different drugs. Due to that obligation, the Division of Justice’s Workplace of Authorized Counsel (OLC), has suggested DEA that extra controls could also be wanted for marijuana on schedule III. That’s the best method to clarify it: if you need extra element on the whys and wherefores of the authorized regime and OLC’s rationale, go to pages 83-87 of the NOPR. In my publish final week, I highlighted that marijuana-specific controls could be thought of by DEA “concurrent with this rulemaking.” In different phrases, DEA is saying, “we’re taking a look at adopting new and particular guidelines for marijuana, past simply shifting it to schedule III. However we don’t know what these new and particular guidelines could be but. Keep tuned.” This strategy is artfully imprecise and noncommittal, and awkward, and begs examination. The trail to marijuana-specific controls I’m not an administrative legislation knowledgeable. Nonetheless, my understanding is that DEA could be required to note any proposed, marijuana-specific management guidelines within the Federal Register and open them up for remark. In different phrases, the method would mirror what we simply noticed with final week’s NOPR. If this occurs, it is going to be attention-grabbing to see what the “particular controls” guidelines present. To that finish, I’m not conscious of any such guidelines for different schedule III drugs. As a substitute, there are solely basic controls relevant to all schedule III drugs: e.g., sure storage necessities, allowances for paper or phone prescriptions, refill caps, and many others. None of that appears relevant to e.g. marijuana flower, which isn’t authorised by FDA for something. Alternatively, what might these guidelines probably say that might matter, particularly with respect to state marijuana packages? Would anybody, outdoors of scientists learning marijuana, pay any consideration to a DEA’s “particular controls” for sched...

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Climate change is changing our agriculture landscape and therefore the cost to consume our favorite things- especially coffee, which is why the work we are doing around organic cultivation with climate resilient varietals like robusta coffee is more important than ever. Thanks WSJ for speaking with me about this important work!

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I can think of no better trend than culinary professionals, influencers, and tastemakers finally saying out loud that high-quality processed foods are as good, if not better, than made-fresh-from-scratch ingredients. Just as I don't expect others to agree with me on politics, books, and movies, I don't expect everyone to enjoy repetitive cooking tasks. What I find meditative and satisfying others find tedious, boring, and pointless. Fair enough! We need high-quality processed goods so that everyone can enjoy exceptional food every day for every meal. IT IS POSSIBLE! It's time to demand that our food processing infrastructure deliver fresh, flavorful, nutritious ingredients that are both affordable and save time. https://lnkd.in/gCcwZBPY

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In the April 23 issue of Food Business News read about The J.M. Smucker Co. capitalizing on consumers eating at home, Mary's Gone Crackers, Inc. adding capacity, and #fiber and #protein increasing GLP-1 in the body.

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Good article by Noelle Skodzinski at Cannabis Business Times Some important insights: "Nearly three-fourths of consumers surveyed say they would be likely to pay more for a jar of cannabis if the jar could be repurposed or kept as a collectible. Less than 10% say they would be unlikely to do so." "While consuming cannabis can be a personal/private experience, it also is known to be a very social experience. And many of those who consume socially like to impress others with their product choice, according to the report, and that’s where packaging comes into play. Nearly half (49.7%) of consumers surveyed say that packaging is of increased importance to them if the product is going to be shared in a social setting than if they are consuming it by themselves. " Worth a read! https://buff.ly/3w5JDv5 Also shoutout to Aric and Graham for putting together the original report. 1009 respondents is a respectable sample size. #cannabis

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I am going to say this publicly one time and one time only. Please stop tarnishing the integrity of the CPG industry with rushing products to the market. What I mean by this is lying to customers, followers, influencers etc about your ingredients and nutritional analysis or lack there of. This effects other upcoming entrepreneurs by creating a illusion that the CPG is easier than what it really is. As a black man in this industry I take great offense to this because black owned businesses have to work very hard to get products into retail as it stands. In the past I've been told West Food Brands wasn't professional, however we've never lied to a customer not once especially about testing or ingredients. Come to think of it we've sent customers free products and apologized for any delays or inconvenience on our end. I don't care about your race or sexual orientation just please remember to have integrity in business. Going around lying to customers and followers about your products or ingredients is not cool. If you have not done proper lab testing of your products please take some time to get those things done. You should not be mass promoting on social. This post may come off has harsh but I rather you not lie to a customer, and get sued or worse someone gets sick. The CPG industry is not a get rich quick business it takes time. Any business you start takes time. I have been on LinkedIn more often the last year or so, and have seen many brands just dissappear no Instagram page now or posts on LinkedIn from the founders. The one thing I will tell you about business it's all about integrity and strong business acumen. You can have all the followers/hype you want and be out of business next week. Slow and steady wins the race. #community #engagement #collaboration #blackowned #blackownedbusiness #smallbusiness #customerservice #integrity #followers #development #creativity #mindset #cpg #strategy #operationalplanning #linkedincommunity #collaboration #wealthgap #culturalawarness #diversity #inclusion #financialinclusion

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Last week I had the opportunity to engage with an industry partner in a meaningful way about the state of the food industry. That conversation lead to a follow up, and upon further reflection of that, I send a version of this email to them outlining my perspective. As a former policy wonk and retail buyer, I'd like to think that I see the various ways in which the system is struggling, and how it's currently serving almost no one. I would love your thoughts on the following and your ideas for how to fix it if you can get through this post! 😅 +++ It is my belief that the food industry is in the midst of a significant shift that will reconfigure the way that business is currently done and ultimately how people get their groceries. The current model is predicated on the easy money that was available to strategic buyers in the early 2010s - 2021. During that period, money was cheap for these large corporations to finance deals, and they bought companies for up to 10x revenue. Investors saw those returns and flocked to CPG, flooding the industry with cash. At the same time, grocery margins, which have always been slim, started to tighten even more. So with suppliers flush with investment dollars, retailers implemented more fees for suppliers get on shelf. Supplier fees now account for up to 70% of grocery store profits. Distributors also cut deals with desired retailers, which don’t actually cover costs. That margin has to come from somewhere, so it’s come primarily from suppliers in the form of billbacks, fees, and promo periods. This delicate balance has worked for the last ten years due to the reatively easy capital available to smaller brands, and because of the strength of the US economy, which allowed more consumers to purchase more high-priced products. That ecosystem has now changed. With the spike in interest rates in 2022, both the actual number of M&A events, and the value of those events dropped drastically. Inflation has also caused consumers of all economic statuses to watch grocery purchasing more closely, and as a result, capital investments have virtually dried up. Loans are also much harder to get and the rates are 15- 18% APR. However, suppliers are still being required to pay the retail and distributor fees and unless their margins are enormous and/or they have loads of working capital to carry them through the ultra long cash cycle, the math doesn’t line up. That’s the position that so many smaller companies find themselves in - the retailer/distributor marketplace is getting squeezed and needs to find a way to grow margin, but small suppliers can no longer afford to pick up that tab. And with inflation, customers can’t absorb more of that cost. The result is that small suppliers are going out of business or fire-selling. And with no end in sight for the high interest rates we’re seeing now, I fear that there will be a mass exodus of people who aren’t independently wealthy enough to foot the bill. Thoughts?

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Sorel: The ULTIMATE Modifier I'm about to say The Quiet Part Out Loud: the liquor industry has a problem nobody talks about: Alcohol (in its pure form) doesn't taste good. This is because the sense of taste is designed to detect poison. Over the millennia, the knowledge that alcohol is poison has dismayed humans, little. As a species we've spent thousands of years trying to figure out how to enjoy the effects of alcohol, without dying. There's a reason why alcohol is a controlled substance; why every bottle comes with a warning. The ancient Egyptians added botanicals to alcohol, creating tinctures. The Celts are credited with beginning the practice of aging alcohol in casks, to absorb the flavor of the wood. Over the centuries the methods of making alcohol more potable has become increasingly sophisticated. Big liquor's solution to this problem is to take vast amounts of GNS and simply add flavor. This is why we have blueberry flavored vodka, cinnamon flavored whisky, and jalapeño flavored tequila. Sorel Liqueur reverses the logic. Everyone else takes alcohol and adds flavor. We take flavor, and add alcohol. The difference in this methodology is what makes Sorel the most versatile modifier on the planet. Sorel does one thing better than any other modifier, in that it masks the taste of ethanol, while pushing flavor forward. Add Sorel to gin, and you'll get more floral notes. Add it to an aged spirit (whisky or rum) and you'll get more barrel notes. Add it to an agave base (tequila or mezcal) and you'll get more fruit and smoke. Add it to other liqueurs and you'll get pure flavor. Don't believe me? Try adding equal parts Sorel and Chartreuse. Or equal parts Sorel and Skrewball Peanut Butter whisky. With hundreds of possible flavor combinations to play with, and how its flavor changes based on temperature, the possibilities with Sorel are endless. We're honored to be included among this list of fine liqueurs. With thanks to SevenFifty Daily and Susannah Skiver Barton https://lnkd.in/ebPgM3Vg #DrinkSorel #BlackOwned #ForTheCulture #Caribbean #Brooklyn

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Know how your customers engage with your brand. On the most recent episode of #MattChatts, Crystal Williams of Lemon Seed Marketing and Rene Lucas of LCS Heating and Cooling, LLC join the show to explain the importance of branding in a contracting business. Read now: https://lnkd.in/g_42kS-Z

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For years, the lack of integrity in the food industry has weighed heavily on me. The disregard for quality ingredients and deceptive practices in branding is a concern that keeps me up at night. It is disheartening to see brands prioritize profits over people's health and well-being. I refuse to compromise my values for the sake of higher margins. Ingredient transparency and prioritizing consumer health will always be my top priorities. I stand firm in my commitment to maintaining high standards and will never waver in this belief. It is crucial to hold accountable those who engage in such unethical practices and those who turn a blind eye to them. Ingredients matter, but above all, people's health matters the most. Let's stay truthful and advocate for transparency and honesty in the food industry. Marinellitrue.com

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What might you expect next from the #foodandbeverage industry for your four-legged friends? Find out what #trend expert Daniel Levine has to say about using human #food as your guide. Read the report from his #keynote at the #PetfoodForum this week in Kansas City.

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I am excited when Walmart innovates. The launch of their new Better Goods food brand is bringing innovation, a new private label brand, and new price points to their shelves. This is a smart move at a time when shoppers are changing stores to save money. I know people who have said they would not buy private-label food from Walmart. With this new launch of more than 300 products, there will be many new interesting and tasty products for shoppers to try. This is worth watching. #foodstrategy #foodandbeverage #foodinnovation

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In the CPG industry it's not about how many doors/stores you get into it's about the quality of stores you get into. I look forward to building relationships with every retailer/buyer. Even though you may not be in a large bix box store at the moment focus on building relationships with independent retailers first then go from there. Building a personal brand helps out a lot in business. This is crucial to let buyers know about you and your products and why you started your business. #retail #growth #business #sales #mindset #businessgoals #businessrelationships #connection #integrity #cpg #startup

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One in five consumers who purchase frozen food items usually buy a store-brand product, and that figure is growing, according to “The Power of Frozen 2023” report from the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) and FMI- The Food Industry Association. The big factor turning the eyes of consumers toward private label products, unsurprisingly, is price. While private label and national-brand frozen products each saw unit share erosion in 2023 — down 3% for private label and down 5.4% for national brands — both segments saw dollar sales grow 7.7% during the prior year. Also notable is the rather weak brand loyalty that consumers have within frozen food despite the category’s having some long-standing national brands. The AFFI report found that 20% of consumers usually purchase private label frozen food products, while 16% said that they prefer national brands. Nearly four in 10 said that brand preference varies by item, and 26% had no brand preference. | Progressive Grocer https://lnkd.in/gFZEj_j3 #retail #supermarkets #frozenfoods #storebrands #privatelabel #consumers

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This morning, I'm seeking feedback, especially from the cannabis industry on a critical challenge we face: how customers learn about products at the store level through budtenders. At Giving Tree Dispensary, we've created a process where budtenders recommend products, but I've observed inconsistent adherence to the process over time or across employees. As a branded wholesaler, the struggle to maintain brand identity, promise, and pricing while vying for budtenders' attention is even more challenging. The evolving landscape has turned brands into commodities, prompting unconventional tactics like direct payments to budtenders. However, this unsustainable model leads to high costs and short memory. Budtenders monthly love does not translate to long term brand loyalty. Have you encountered similar challenges in your industry? Share your successes, setbacks, and valuable lessons learned. I would love to hear what worked and what didn't. . #CannabisIndustry #Feedback #BrandIdentity #Budtenders #Challenges #SuccessStories #racetothebottom #WomenInCannabis #retail #brand #marketing #Branding #Knowledge #Progress #advice #support #BusinessOwner #MakeItWorthIt #MakeItHappen #Change

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